Kangaroo_Harvest

Australian Natural History (1987), Vol 22 (5) : 204-205
KANGAROO HARVESTING:
A new approach
Gordon Grigg, School of Zoology, University of Sydney
Current address (2005): School of Integrative Biology, The University of Queensland, Australia 4072
Abstract (written November, 2005): This is one of the earliest expositions of the idea to address overgrazing on
marginal rangelands by recognizing and increasing the market value of kangaroos to the point where land holders
would be financially advantaged if they reduced sheep numbers in favour of kangaroo harvesting; an idea known
subsequently as ‘sheep replacement therapy for rangelands’.
What can be done to repair the habitat damage done by 100 years of overgrazing? A solution in
the marginal pastoral areas may be to promote kangaroo products, increasing their value so that it becomes
more profitable to harvest kangaroos there instead of sheep and cattle.
Consider what would happen if the value of kangaroos suddenly jumped three- or four-fold. Many
people would immediately think that this is the worst thing that could happen; that the large species of
kangaroos would come under such harvesting pressure that extinction would surely follow. I disagree. I
believe that a big increase in demand for kangaroo products would not only ensure their conservation but
would lead also to the rehabilitation of areas now becoming deserts under the pressure of hard-hoofed
stock. This Forum article will argue that, with conservation motives, we should be finding better
overseas markets for kangaroo meat and hides, and selling them at prices that do justice to their quality,
instead of at prices that reflect their current status in Australia as pests.
You think I'm crazy? Hear me out, point by point.
Flying low over most of Australia, as I have been doing regularly for more than ten years on kangaroo
surveys, I am always appalled by the extent of habitat damage I see inflicted by sheep and cattle grazing.
The land is crisscrossed by tracks and beaten to powder. Much of our marginal grazing land is already well
on the way to becoming desert. Just try to imagine what the country will look like in another 50 years, let
alone another 200.
Or do you think we know better now; that the lessons of the past have been learned well and that
pastures are better managed nowadays? Well think again! The latest trend in clapped-out pastoral country
in central New South Wales is to electrify existing fences so as to raise goats, which eat everything! Look
at northern Africa!
Something must be done.
The best hope for restoration and conservation of our fragile arid lands is for the removal of sheep
and cattle not just to reduce grazing pressure, but to reduce foot pressure as well. Kinchega National Park,
a formerly overgrazed sheep property south-east of Broken Hill, provides a practical example that many
will be familiar with. However, for stock to be removed, there needs to be an alternate economic base. If
kangaroos can provide that alternate base, there will be a revolution in land use in many of the areas now
only marginally useful for grazing and, wherever it happens, there will be habitat restoration on a grand
scale.
Graziers raise sheep deliberately and kangaroos inadvertently on most sheep properties. They regard
sheep as a source of income, kangaroos as pests. A property might have 6,000 sheep and 3,000 kangaroos.
The grazier reaps a financial benefit from the former, but calls in a licensed kangaroo shooter to kill and
sell the latter. This is a paradox. Its persistence is cultural (kangaroo work is, in many cases, beneath the
dignity of most graziers) and financial (kangaroos are not worth enough at present).
But, if the value of kangaroos increases, then graziers might think twice before giving them away.
There are isolated examples of this now, even at the present low-market value of kangaroos. During 1986,
when sheep prices were low, many graziers in central Queensland harvested their kangaroos themselves. A
dramatic price increase would see more graziers doing this and fewer graziers would be forced off their
land in times of drought and increasing interest rates.
How much of a price rise would be necessary? This question was addressed by Michael Young and
Allan Wilson of the CSIRO Division of Wildlife and Rangelands Research (personal communication).
Even including the costs of constructing and maintaining kangaroo proof fencing, which I consider to be
counter-productive, they estimated that a three- to four-fold increase in the price of kangaroo meat would
make farming profitable, first as a supplement to and as a replacement for traditional stock.
How could such a price rise be achieved? A basic principle of economics is that if supply remains constant
and demand rises, then price also rises. The supply of kangaroos is limited by quotas set to ensure their
conservation (as it should be), so we need only to increase the demand. At present, kangaroos are undervalued,
their present price reflecting their status in Australia as pests instead of something very special on which, we
should remember, we have a complete monopoly. The leather is excellent and is sought by manufacturers of many
specialised products, particularly sport shoes and other sporting equipment. The meat, with less than one percent
fat compared to 40 percent for mutton, is a nutritionist's dream. With better marketing, particularly in countries that
have a protein shortage (such as Japan), where there is a tradition of eating game (such as Germany), or in any
country with a 'health food' industry, prices will inevitably rise. Even the motivation for the harvest-that of
reversing our grazing-induced desertification could be a selling point in Australia and in all other conservation-
conscious countries.
In brief, my scenario is that kangaroos should be marketed at higher prices, reflecting the special product they
are. Graziers in marginal country will then see a benefit in encouraging kangaroo populations by reducing and, in
some instances, replacing entirely their traditional hard-hoofed stock. This will result in a sounder economic base
in many areas and will promote the restoration of land that is turning into desert under present land use.
You still think I'm crazy, don't you? I can imagine many of the criticisms: "just another academic in his ivory
tower, flogging his hobby horse"; "doesn't know anything about the bush"; "everybody knows you can't farm
kangaroos"; "you'll need a big fence to keep them in, mate"; "what about the worms?"; "the Greenies'll never let
you do it, anyway"; "you can't muster them" and so on.
Well let's concentrate on some of these old chestnuts. After all, the status quo is hardly anything to
be proud of, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who sees a need for new directions.
First of all, I'm not suggesting conventional farming, but free-range harvest of a natural resource
(something closer to fishing than to farming). Fences would not be needed. Indeed, fences would probably
be deleterious because kangaroos need freedom of movement, particularly during droughts. So how would
you establish ownership over your kangaroos? Why would you need to? Your kangaroos are the ones on
your property. Next week they may be on your neighbour's but, if you look after your land better than he
does (that is, by reducing or removing hard hoofed stock), then they may stay on yours. Mustering? Not
necessary. Shooting has already proved to be an effective and humane method of harvest and doesn't
require the process of mustering. Indeed, kangaroos could not be mustered because they are prone to post-
capture myopathy, a stress-induced deterioration of the muscles that degrades the value of the meat.
Worms, parasites, health aspects? In South Australia, the only State where kangaroo meat can now be sold
for human consumption, it passes regular inspections with flying colours. Note also that overheads fall,
there being no need to maintain fences, to brand, drench, crutch or spray.
And the Greenies? Well, I think this proposal will be supported by more conservation groups than
will oppose it; after all, economically valuable species are those that everyone wants to conserve and
habitat restoration becomes a bonus. If there is local support, support from overseas will likely follow for
the same reasons. In my view, this is a proposal on which producers, governments and conservationists
should be able to work together.
In an article in this magazine in 1984 (vol. 21 no. 4, p. 123) I discussed the kangaroo question at
length, including population data and ethics. The article concluded that Red and Grey Kangaroos were not
threatened by controlled harvesting. This conclusion is accepted by most people nowadays. What that
article said, essentially, was that there are no reasons not to harvest kangaroos; what this present article is
saying is that there are good conservation reasons to harvest.
Of course, if this proposal is put into effect, there will have to be many changes in the structure of
kangaroo marketing and stricter controls to ensure that the resource is managed properly. Regular
monitoring of populations should continue, with effective and intelligent control over the numbers taken.
There would need to be effective ways to be certain that only legally-taken skins (tattooing?) and meat
enter trade markets, and there would have to be a much higher level of supervision than at present. This
will be crucial, otherwise there will be extensive poaching by unlicensed shooters, with all its unsavoury
aspects. Many opponents of the industry have claimed that there is considerable corruption and that rules
and regulations are not policed. But, with a higher dollar value on the resource, adequate controls and
higher penalties are much more likely to be implemented than they are at present. While the proposal is
aimed mainly at the marginal grazing areas, I see no reason why the kangaroo industry should not continue
in other areas, as it does now, but with better regulation. The greater value of kangaroos would lead to
more energetic controls in these places too.
I am not so naive that I think this proposal is a cure-all for the problems in our arid lands, or for the
problems surrounding the commercialisation of kangaroos. However, I am urging constructive discussion.
I hope this article will start some. The spread of deserts is a problem in many countries. Perhaps in
Australia we may be able to do something about it. If switching to kangaroos works effectively even in just
a few areas, then that will be a good start. How far it might go, who can tell?